


You Come First

by thetransgirlwhoneverwas



Series: Fictober 2019 [14]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 07:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21070970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetransgirlwhoneverwas/pseuds/thetransgirlwhoneverwas
Summary: When Helen sustains an injury, Liv may be the only person who can help. She has all the skills to needs to succeed. She has nothing if she fails.





	You Come First

“Where’s the medbay!” Liv shouted, not even asking, as they ran into the TARDIS, the doors slamming shut behind them before anyone could follow.

“Down that corridor, just keep running until you find it!” the Doctor shouted back, already pulling switches and levers all over the console. “I’ll reconfigure the TARDIS to get it closer, just keep going!”

Liv nodded without looking at him and ran as fast as she could down the corridor, trying not to slow down from the weight of carrying Helen in her arms, trying not to jostle her too much so as not to take pressure off of her shoulder, trying not to think about how if she’d moved just a second earlier Helen wouldn’t have been in the way of that bullet. Helen’s eyes flickered slightly - awake, but not going to be that way for long.

“L...Liv? Where...what’s happening?” she asked slowly, woozy from the blood loss that Liv was trying not to remember, but there had been so much blood, and Liv tried not to remember the sound the bullet made as it ripped through Helen’s flesh and muscle and what it sounded like when Helen screamed in pain, no, Liv thought to herself, stop that, I don’t want to remember that, I can’t think about that right now. I can’t think about losing her. I can’t lose her. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her.

“It’s going to be fine, Helen, I promise,” Liv gasped out, forcing the thoughts into the back of her mind. She could deal with that when Helen wasn’t dying anymore. “You’re going to be fine.”

“Liv, I...I’m sorry...I don’t…” she drifted off.

“Helen? Helen, stay with me, please!” Where was the medbay, the Doctor had said just keep going, he’d find it and it would be there, why wasn’t it there, he couldn’t let them down, Helen needed help right now and-

There! She spotted the illuminated sign glowing “Medbay” on her right. She ducked into the room, quickly took stock of the equipment - well stocked, clean, everything she’d need, thank you Doctor - laid down Helen on a table, closed her eyes and took a very deep breath, and examined the wound. The bullet had gone straight through and missed anything vital, Liv instinctively thanked a god she didn’t believe in. Painful and messy, but it wouldn’t do any permanent damage beyond a scar. Helen’s reaction hadn’t been as life threatening as Liv had worried, it was mostly shock, mostly likely from having never been shot before. She cleaned and treated the wound as best she knew how, and breathed the deepest sigh of relief of her life.

The Doctor’s voice came through a radio across the room. “Liv, we’re away, they can’t follow us now. How is she?”

Liv walked over and answered into the speaker. “The wound bled a lot but was mostly superficial. Helen’s going to be fine, Doctor.”

She heard the Doctor sigh on the other end of the radio. “Let’s be thankful for that at least. I’ll find somewhere we can set down for a while and let her recover. Speaking from experience, being shot is never a pleasant time.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” Liv meant it. Helen would need some time to recover.

“Liv?”

Helen was awake.

“Helen, it’s okay, you’re on the TARDIS, I’ve patched you up, you’re going to be fine,” Liv reassured her immediately.

“What...what happened? I don’t remember much,” Helen asked, still not fully awake. Still barely awake.

“You got shot,” Liv replied, and immediately regretted her own bluntness, but to her surprise Helen laughed.

“I remember that much,” she smiled. “How did I get shot though?”

“Apparently the police didn’t take very kindly to us helping out someone who was technically a criminal,” Liv explained.

“But I definitely remember Tsunei had exposed all the corruption and crime on the planet?” Helen seemed confused. “And that the politicians were behind all the corruptio-oh. Oh, I see what happened. It was all very fast, and we were running, and then, well…”

“And then you got shot,” Liv finished, and Helen nodded.

“Where’s the Doctor?” Helen asked.

“He’s at the helm, finding us somewhere to stay so you can recover,” Liv told her. “You need some rest.”

“But what about Tsunei? The people?” Helen objected. She tried to sit up, but put too much pressure on her arm, which collapsed out from under her. She fell back down with a cry, but Liv caught her and gently set her down on the operating table.

“We’ll go back and make sure everything’s okay when you’re better, okay?” Liv comforted her again. It had always been something she’d admired about Helen. Even bleeding on an operating table she still thought of helping others first. “You need to rest, we’ll sort it all out later. You come first.”

Helen nodded and didn’t try to sit up again.

“How are you feeling?” Liv asked, hating the basic question but knowing the necessity.

“My shoulder hurts,” Helen smiled again, stating the obvious but clearly trying to downplay the pain.

“I gave you some painkillers when you were out, they should kick in soon,” Liv said. “Is there anything I can get you now?”

Helen shook her head. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“That’s the painkillers too,” Liv explained. “You’ll be drowsy for a bit, but you’re fine to sleep for a while. We can move you somewhere else when your shoulder heals a little.”

Helen laid her head back down and closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For looking after me.”

“That’s my job,” Liv smiled for the first time since entering the TARDIS.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” Helen asked, barely audible.

“Of course,” Liv knelt down beside the table and held Helen’s hand. Eventually Helen’s breathing slowed as she fell asleep, the painkillers taking effect. Liv pulled up a chair and sat beside her, ready to last the night.

“I’ll always be here for you, Helen.”


End file.
